Prepper Ponderings Feb. 27, 2011

A Blog I Like

I've recently come across another preparedness blog that I've added to my Links I Like page.  Jake writes No More Dependence a couple of times a week.  No More Dependence provides free emergency, disaster, survival, and preparedness information. Learn survival skills and prepare for an eventual emergency.  I particularly like the way he breaks his posts down in to several different main categories so that the reader can easily find topics of interest.  Take a look at No More Dependence and see if you agree.


Gun Show Report

I went to a gun show today.  This was a new promoter in a new location.  It wasn't as big as the two that have been in this area for years, but it wasn't bad.  There was a good assortment of dealers and items.  Plenty of "black" guns, hunting guns, antiques, pistols and revolvers.  There were even two dealers in machine guns and suppressors.  The prices throughout the building were typical.  No highway robbery, but no great bargains, either.  A couple big ammo dealers were there, but I didn't look too much at pricing.  Lots of knives were available.  Everything from the cheapest junk knives to high quality factory blades like Cold Steel, and even a few custom bladesmiths.  One couple had a few tables selling survival books and fire starters.  They had a display advertising their wilderness and urban survival training.  I'm going to look into their offerings and see what's up. 

I didn't really see anything that I had to have.  The only thing I bought was a handmade western gun belt.  I plan to go to a Cowboy Action Shooting match next month, and it seems I've outgrown the belt I used for many years.  This one is of OK quality, but it was a great price and I bought it from the guy who made it.  I hope to be back into my old belt by fall.


Storage Food Recipe

Folks often make dried food mixes and store them in jars to use as quick meals or for long term storage.  My wife recently found a quick and easy cake recipe that follows that principle.  Mix together one box of Duncan Hines angel food cake mix, and one box of any other flavor cake mix.  Store the combined powder in a jar.  When you want some cake, dump 1/3 cup of the combined mixes into a coffee mug.  Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water.  Put in the microwave for 1 minute in the microwave and it comes out as a fluffy, flavorful, cake for one.  We haven't experimented yet to see if it will work in a regular oven, but if you have a generator, a minute in the microwave could be easily done.  As I understand it, the reason this works so well is that the angel food cake has dehydrated egg powder already mixed in.  Even if it doesn't work in the oven, it's a good way to LTS a treat for those nights when you don't feel like real cooking.


Welcome to Shelf Reliance!

I'm very pleased to announce that If It Hits The Fan has a new sponsor!  Shelf Reliance has a great reputation in the preparedness community, and some wonderful products.  They have many different sizes of food rotation systems ranging from the Harvest 72 to the Cansolidator Cupboard.  They even offer a planning calculator so that you can enter the measurements of your storage space and it will tell you what unit will best fit.

They also have the THRIVE brand of freeze dried foods.  They have a huge variety of foods, including some that I have not seen before in other brands.  I love Mandarin oranges, and am looking forward to trying THRIVE brand ones soon.  They have a food storage calculator, and the Q program to set up planned and budgeted monthly purchases to reach your goals without busting the bank account.

Please check out our new sponsor, and let them know you heard about Shelf Reliance here at If It Hits The Fan.  They have some monster discounts and sales going on through Feb. 28.  They are also our Sponsor of the Week.